For those that fear coming to Australia!

[monkeysarefun]

I know prices for V8's have been going a bit nutty lately, but this is a little crazy.

 

Looks stock and nice and clean with low kays, but seriously? 

 

I wonder how close the getting price will be from the asking price, though mid-thirties for  this model doesn't seem unusual at the moment..

 

 

 

[Classsix T]

1 minute ago, monkeysarefun said:

I know prices for V8's have been going a bit nutty lately, but this is a little crazy.

 

Looks stock and nice and clean with low kays, but seriously? 

 

I wonder how close the getting price will be from the asking price, though mid-thirties for  this model doesn't seem unusual at the moment..

 

 

 

I don't actually fear this much Chris, unless I was in the frame of mind to buy one. 

Was this supposed to go in the modern classics thread sweetheart?!

 

C6T. 

[monkeysarefun]

10 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

I don't actually fear this much Chris, unless I was in the frame of mind to buy one. 

Was this supposed to go in the modern classics thread sweetheart?!

 

C6T. 

 

No, it wasnt meant for the modern classics,  thread, they seem to be more focussed on  some 1.2 litre  MG hatchback from 1996 or whatever which is fine. They dont seem to have the same car culture as we had here growing up in the 70's and '80's so dont seem to understand the extreme awesomeness of Aussie  V8 Holdens and Fords and a lesser extent Valiant Chargers  and how  important they are and that they should all be national treasures like Harry Firths  HT Monaro that is banned from being exported due to its heritage status here. 

 

I think this thread has kind of morphed into "quirky things about Australia", which allows me to post the asking price of a kind of car probably originally bought by an apprentice plumber when new (unless he was on his P plates...) , now asking twice what  some  rich  bloke is currently asking for his  2009  M3 BMW.

 

[Classsix T]

27 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

No, it wasnt meant for the modern classics,  thread, they seem to be more focussed on  some 1.2 litre  MG hatchback from 1996 or whatever which is fine. They dont seem to have the same car culture as we had here growing up in the 70's and '80's so dont seem to understand the extreme awesomeness of Aussie  V8 Holdens and Fords and a lesser extent Valiant Chargers  and how  important they are and that they should all be national treasures like Harry Firths  HT Monaro that is banned from being exported due to its heritage status here. 

 

I think this thread has kind of morphed into "quirky things about Australia", which allows me to post the asking price of a kind of car probably originally bought by an apprentice plumber when new (unless he was on his P plates...) , now asking twice what  some  rich  bloke is currently asking for his  2009  M3 BMW.

 

Apologies Chris, I never for one minute meant to come across as patronising.

As you're probably aware, people get quite passionate about the "stuff" they grew up with so I'm afraid us Poms, with our graduation of "roads" from pre-Roman times to date have never seen honking geet V8 powered monsters as practical. Lovely to see, nice to have but hardly uppermost in many European drivers wanting. Especially wrt utes, a quintessentially Australian product for the domestic market. 

 

For myself, you'd scoff at the likes of my desire to buy and tune a Reliant Kitten with it's widow making 850cc/40bhp hamster wheel under the bonnet, so horses for courses buddy! It's all good!

 

C6T. 

[monkeysarefun]

35 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

Apologies Chris, I never for one minute meant to come across as patronising.

As you're probably aware, people get quite passionate about the "stuff" they grew up with so I'm afraid us Poms, with our graduation of "roads" from pre-Roman times to date have never seen honking geet V8 powered monsters as practical. Lovely to see, nice to have but hardly uppermost in many European drivers wanting. Especially wrt utes, a quintessentially Australian product for the domestic market. 

 

For myself, you'd scoff at the likes of my desire to buy and tune a Reliant Kitten with it's widow making 850cc/40bhp hamster wheel under the bonnet, so horses for courses buddy! It's all good!

 

C6T. 

No worries,  - Patronising is what you do to a pub, I didnt take your post in that way!

 

As for the Reliant, here is the actual car I got my 'P's on (translation: passed my driving test)...  twas my mums not mine, honest.

 

(For the psychically interested, that brown and black image on the back seat bears an exact resemblance to the Kelpie we owned who had been dead two years before this photo was taken, she loved riding in the car and is the main reason I still have this photo. Spooky or what!. )

 

 

 

Wishing you and your galant team all the best for day three of the test. Amusing to hear the Barmy Army (local chapter)  suddenly crank  into action when Ollie Robinson was on his hat-trick, reminded me of Cicadas on a hot day when they start up all of a sudden.

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[Classsix T]

10 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

No worries,  - Patronising is what you do to a pub, I didnt take your post in that way!

 

As for the Reliant, here is the actual car I got my 'P's on (translation: passed my driving test)...  twas my mums not mine, honest.

 

 

 

Wishing you and your galant team all the best for day three of the test. Amusing to hear the Barmy Army suddenly crank  into action when Ollie Robinson was on his hat-trick, like Cicadas.

 

If your closing statement is about the cricket, I literally couldn't give two sh!ts about it, stupid game. As are the majority of ball sports, but given the additional class structure of cricket and tennis in the Mother Country and its ridiculous fandom from the upper middle classes (Henman Hill ffs), basically, I let them believe somehow it matters.

 

C6T. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Classsix T

[PhilJ W]

46 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

Apologies Chris, I never for one minute meant to come across as patronising.

As you're probably aware, people get quite passionate about the "stuff" they grew up with so I'm afraid us Poms, with our graduation of "roads" from pre-Roman times to date have never seen honking geet V8 powered monsters as practical. Lovely to see, nice to have but hardly uppermost in many European drivers wanting. Especially wrt utes, a quintessentially Australian product for the domestic market. 

 

For myself, you'd scoff at the likes of my desire to buy and tune a Reliant Kitten with it's widow making 850cc/40bhp hamster wheel under the bonnet, so horses for courses buddy! It's all good!

 

C6T. 

The Reliant Kitten was so light, less than 9cwt (1,000 lbs) that even with a moderate tune it could out perform far more powerful cars. It was a four wheel version of the Reliant Robin tri-car. A standard Robin was once stopped by the police doing over 100 mph on the M11, 

[monkeysarefun]

12 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

its ridiculous fandom from the upper middle classes

Is that the case there? Tis the sound of summer here.  In our case the "upper middle class" supporters would (probably unfairly) be considered those that inhabit the Members stand.  Mexican waves are begun at the SCG and ripple around the ground before crashing to a dead halt at the wall of the  members stand.

This gives the rest of the crowd the chance to break out into "Members Are w*nkers!" clap clap clapclap clap  -  which the TV commentators do their best to try to drown out.

[Classsix T]

27 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Is that the case there? Tis the sound of summer here.  In our case the "upper middle class" supporters would (probably unfairly) be considered those that inhabit the Members stand.  Mexican waves are begun at the SCG and ripple around the ground before crashing to a dead halt at the wall of the  members stand.

This gives the rest of the crowd the chance to break out into "Members Are w*nkers!" clap clap clapclap clap  -  which the TV commentators do their best to try to drown out.

Sounds familiar, Auntie Beeb is all over cricket and sodding Wimbledon. Gushing over it like any of it matters.

Otoh, I'm not some boorish yobbo that needs alcoholic "improvement" either. Beer is something I do after the fact.

It doesn't say much about a sport that some folks think getting drunk will improve the spectacle. I've seen enough dozy prats falling off trains after a "day at the races" to realise how daft that is.

 

C6T. 

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

... here is the actual car I got my 'P's on

No wonder you love Holden V8s.

 

Long before his Kingswood HQ wagon, Dad had a Hillman Minx - probably a late 1940s or 1950s model. I don't remember it, but do remember the day he took delivery of a Toyota Corona he bought to replace it. (If I have the maths right I would have been four.)

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[monkeysarefun]

11 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

No wonder you love Holden V8s.

 

Long before his Kingswood HQ wagon, Dad had a Hillman Minx - probably a late 1950s model. I don't remember it, but do remember the day he took delivery of a  Toyota Corolla he bought to replace it. (If I have the maths right I would have been four.)

My dad fancied himself a cut above Kingswoods and Falcons so we had to drive around in a Wolseley. 

[AndyID]

19 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

No wonder you love Holden V8s.

 

Long before his Kingswood HQ wagon, Dad had a Hillman Minx - probably a late 1940s or 1950s model. I don't remember it, but do remember the day he took delivery of a Toyota Corona he bought to replace it. (If I have the maths right I would have been four.)

 

 

My dad had a 50s Minx. It got clonked by a tram at Renfrew Cross .

He switched to Vauxhalls after that. The last one was a Cresta with a 3.3L six. If you looked at it the wrong way the wheels would spin.

[Ozexpatriate]

The unintended consequences of outdoor CoViD health briefings in Queensland:

 

Watch: Spider interrupts Australian news conference

 

"Minister, you've got a big spider on you".  (Only a Huntsman.)

 

[monkeysarefun]

Huntsman spiders have to be the biggest jokers out of all the world's  arachnids -  the places they hide  and the pranks  they think up to surprise you!

[kevinlms]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-21/sa-campervan-to-be-returned-to-wa-family/100715708

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, kevinlms said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-21/sa-campervan-to-be-returned-to-wa-family/100715708

Stunning that a four-wheel drive vehicle like that was completely bogged. I have to say that 150km from Oodnadatta is exceptionally remote. Good to stay away from in "the wet".

[kevinlms]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Stunning that a four-wheel drive vehicle like that was completely bogged. I have to say that 150km from Oodnadatta is exceptionally remote. Good to stay away from in "the wet".

I've never been there, but my understanding is that because of the patchy depth of the dust, when it rains a lot, it turns to a mud bowl, trapping even decent 4WD's as evident in the photo.

 

The other mistake people make, is thinking that because they are driving a 4WD, then driving across a flooded river is fine. Fact is, that the river can push them off the road formation, in less deep water than they thought. So they are quickly in deep trouble. A number drown and sometimes only a few metres from safety.

[kevinlms]

You don't want to be a snowman in Australia!

 

 

[St Enodoc]

14 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Fact is, that the river can push them off the road formation,

It's also impossible to see where the road formation is when it's covered by water. It doesn't always go in a straight line...

[PhilJ W]

My rule of thumb when using a flooded road is if the water is high enough to reach the floor of the vehicle don't go in. Same applies of course if there's no indication of the depth. Fortunately I have never encountered a water splash or flooded road that was too deep for the vehicle I was driving though I've driven a 4X4 through water that I wouldn't risk in a normal car.

[PhilJ W]

This is a notorious ford in the UK.

The best one IMHO is at 0:50 where the driver takes a 'wrong turning' and tries to drive down the river, and the person pulling them out doesn't seem to be very sympathetic.

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by PhilJ W

[Gwiwer]

Most Aussie water-course crossings I ever used had depth markers.  Sometimes you wouldn't know there was a water-course there without the marker 99% of the time.  It's the other 1%.  The dry interior is a red dust bowl for years but when it rains it rains.  And that water can flow for vast distances meaning it can arrive downstream hours or days after a rain event a very long way away.  And without much warning.  A dry creek bed can suddenly contain a trickle of water and within minutes becomes a raging torrent.  Wait it out and a couple of days later it may be passable once more.  

 

Even on sealed roads you encounter depth markers at unexpected places with apparently alarming "depths" to 2m or more shown well above the surrounding land.  

 

There is one rule - if it's flooded you DO NOT attempt to cross.  Depth and flow can cause tragic results even in apparently shallow conditions.  Bogging is a real risk as the conditions are unknown.  

 

In the UK there are fords (including the one seen in PhilJ W's post) which catch many an unwary driver out.  There's one in my old home town of Hayle at Strawberry Lane - a very minor road but used by a lot of locals as a short-cut avoiding a part of the town centre - as you descend a steep hill and approach a sharp left-hander.  The ford is right on the bend meaning if you misjudge your speed coming downhill you'll be in the water before you can stop.  It can (as can all fords) be impassable with the stream in spate.  More than a few folk have had to be towed out of there - or towed out of the stream bed farther down.  

 

If I'm driving in traffic and can see the depth from the wheels of a car ahead I'll normally engage second and go through; if I can take the centre line where the camber should favour the driver with shallower water then so much the better.  If there's no-one else around I'll stop and take a look first and only go through if I'm happy.  When I was driving buses / coaches we encountered occasional floods after heavy rain some of which were caused by topsoil washed onto roads and blocking drains.  That in turn caused a lake of silty water to form.  Again my rule was "stop and inspect" and remember if safe to proceed to maintain constant pressure on the "loud" pedal to avoid water being aspirated into the exhaust and entering the engine.   We had monster ocean waves breaking over roads at times too but that's another story!  

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

The dry interior is a red dust bowl for years but when it rains it rains.  And that water can flow for vast distances meaning it can arrive downstream hours or days after a rain event a very long way away.  And without much warning.  A dry creek bed can suddenly contain a trickle of water and within minutes becomes a raging torrent.  Wait it out and a couple of days later it may be passable once more.

The desert southwest of the United States can be similar. Flash flooding in places like Arizona is common.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 There's one in my old home town of Hayle at Strawberry Lane - a very minor road but used by a lot of locals as a short-cut avoiding a part of the town centre - as you descend a steep hill and approach a sharp left-hander.

This spot was notorious in the 'bad old days'. You'll note there's a creek on the left. It's still influenced by tides at this point and the combination of high tides and heavy rain would inevitably make it flood.

 

Locally called the 'duck bridge' (photo from the Courier Mail), the area has been extensively reengineered since my formative days.

 

In the old days, the bridge was a timber trestle and if memory serves the clearance was lower and the road narrower and less well drained.

[John ks]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

This spot was notorious in the 'bad old days'. You'll note there's a creek on the left. It's still influenced by tides at this point and the combination of high tides and heavy rain would inevitably make it flood.

 

Locally called the 'duck bridge' (photo from the Courier Mail), the area has been extensively reengineered since my formative days.

 

In the old days, the bridge was a timber trestle and if memory serves the clearance was lower and the road narrower and less well drained.

I know that bridge, its on the Cleveland line Between Wynnum & Wynnum Central stations , next to the Wynnum RSL Club & less than an hours walk from me

If you were in the taxi & were to drive straight ahead (apart for a roundabout ) for 800m you would get very wet in Morton Bay

 

I still tend to duck when i drive under that bridge

If i remember correctly  they built the new bridge on temporary piers next to the old (timber trestle) bridge & in a weekend, demolished the old bridge & slid the new bridge into place

 

350m north is a 2.1m clearance bridge & 700m south is a 2.8m clearance

John